Letting Go
by HungerJackson
Summary: She can't trust men—not after being abused by one. Five years later, she has a son and is trying to let the past go, but it's not easy. When her mother appears to celebrate Thanksgiving with her, she gets herself in a lot of trouble. Now she must forget the past and find a "boyfriend" in less than four days. And a certain green-eyed man can help her.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hello everyone! New story. Of course you noticed already. This is the story in which I'll be working once 'Complicated' is over. I hope you like it. I couldn't stop writing it. It was really fun because I've got something great planned for this story. Please, review and tell me what you think! Happy reading!

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Chapter 1

_You can do this_, I thought, stepping into the subway. As much as I tried to sound sure of that, I didn't quite believe it, so I squeezed my five-year-old son's hand a bit harder. Little Dariel's presence always made me feel better. He reminded me that I was capable of doing anything. If I'd managed to raise him while being at school and attending therapy, letting the past go had to be as easy as one, two, three.

_Not all men are bad_, I reminded myself, the image of my best friend, Luke, flashing before my eyes. _Not all men are like the fucker that abused you and gave you this wonderful son. Good males exist in the world. Let the past go. Do it for Mom._

She was the reason I was making an effort to trust men again—well, her desire to see me in love before dying, actually. It was hard considering one of them had abused of me at the young age of seventeen, but I was trying. Really trying.

"Mommy, are you alright?" Dariel asked, tilting his head back to look into my eyes. In the process, tufts of dark hair—probably inherited by his father—fell over his eyes.

I smiled, brushing them off of his forehead. "Never been better." It wasn't true, of course. The thought of having to be friendly with guys made my throat feel dry. Many years had passed since the last time I had been kind to them—of course, if you didn't count Luke. He was the only one I could trust. I knew he would never try to hurt me.

_You can do this_, I repeated one more time. But as my gaze swept around the subway car, I decided I couldn't do it. Every time I saw one of _them_—especially a dark-haired one—memories came back. I couldn't understand why this only happened when I tried to change. Did my mind want me to stay like this forever?

There were no empty seats anywhere, so Dariel and I stood near the exit and waited for the subway to stop at our destination. _I'll try to do it again tomorrow_, I thought. Tomorrow. I always said I'd do it, but everyday was the same. Heaving a sigh, I ran a hand through my blonde hair. The therapy wasn't working too well if I wasn't getting good results.

"Miss, please take my seat." A man, probably in his mid-thirties, got on his feet and placed a hand on my lower back. The physical contact made me distrust him immediately, but I remembered my mother, lying in bed while Leukemia killed her slowly. So I smiled, muttered a thanks, and sat down with Dariel perched on my legs. Good thing he was as light as a feather.

After several minutes of waiting I could finally see our station approaching. Thanking the man that had given us his seat one more time, Dariel and I stood up and exited the car. It was cold outside, so I wrapped my handmade scarf around his neck and asked him to put his gloves and beanie on.

He grinned once he was wearing a scarf, gloves, a beanie and a windbreaker jacket. "How do I look?"

I laughed before saying, "A little bit chubby, but you look just fine. I bet many girls will want to hug you to feel warm." I took his hand again and started walking. "Come on, Little D. You can't be late to school."

I should be in school, too, but I wasn't. I'd decided to take a break to find a job. Money would be needed once Mom left this world. Dad was willing to help me, but I couldn't depend on my parents forever. They'd done enough already. It was time for me to take care of myself.

Dariel hummed a song he learned at school as we walked through New York. Every time we passed a shop or a diner I searched for a 'Help Wanted' sign, but I wasn't lucky today either. I couldn't decide what was more complicated—forgetting the past or finding a job. Both were quite difficult tasks.

The sounds of children playing were getting close, so I put a hand on my son's shoulder and stopped him from walking. I knew how much he hated whenever I kissed him in front of his friends so I decided to do it here, a block away from them.

"You behave, okay?" I said, squatting in front of him so we were face to face. Without waiting for a response, I kissed his forehead and ruffled his messy hair. Sometimes I wonder why it won't stay calm. "I love you. You know that, right?"

"Yep! And I love you too, Mommy." With a grin, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on each of my cheeks. Oh, this boy was lovely. How could he be the son of someone so disgusting? Not wanting to let him go, I pulled him into an embrace. "Mommy, it's getting late." He didn't sound worried, though.

Blowing a kiss on his cheek, I clambered to my feet and continued moving despite his laughter. The teacher greeted him with a smile. Forgetting about his friends, Dariel opened his arms and gave me one last hug before he sprinted towards the playground. Being a mother was fascinating when you had a son like my Little D. I waved goodbye to Mrs. Suzanne and let my heart guide me around the city.

As I walked, I glanced at every window in search of work. No luck again. At one point I found a newsstand and bought today's paper. Maybe there were more decent job offers today. I spotted a diner not so far away. Even from here the scent of food reached my nostrils. I hadn't had breakfast; my insides were snarling like rabid dogs.

It was nine-thirty in the morning. I had an appointment with my psychologist in an hour, and her office wasn't far from here, so I ordered some food and sat at a table while reading the classifieds. A hospital needed someone to wash the bathrooms. A restaurant was looking for a waitress. An important company required a female employee to take inventory and serve as a secretary—that didn't sound so bad. I'd never done inventory before, but I knew how they worked. I just had to count, probably serve coffee and help the superiors with whatever they needed.

This was an opportunity I couldn't lose.

By the time my plates were empty I had gathered a big amount of courage and prepared to call. The job had to be mine. I took my phone out, dialed the number and prepared to click on the 'Call' button. _You can do this_, I reminded myself.

As if the world was against me, something hot spilled onto my head just when I was about to call. My skin burned where coffee had touched, and I couldn't help letting out a squeal. The phone slipped out of my hand and fell to the ground. Could I be any more unlucky? _Crack!_ A fissure appeared on the screen.

"Fuck. I—I'm sorry. Are you okay, Miss?" someone behind me asked, but I ignored him. Instead, I bent down to grab the iPhone Dad had given me last Christmas. It wasn't on the floor anymore. The owner of the voice held it in his hand, waiting for me to take it.

I turned to meet his gaze and said, "Thank you." I was momentarily struck by his looks. What got my attention the most was the color of his eyes: green. I could imagine the sea just by looking at them. They were beautiful, but my surprise didn't last long. Distrust swelled inside me—especially after seeing his dark hair. Taking the phone from his hand, I faked a smile and turned around to dry my hair. It would be all frizzy in a couple of minutes.

"I'm really sorry," he repeated. I nodded, using napkins to clean myself as much as possible. Without asking for permission, he sat down beside me, his green orbs fixed on my face. I could see worry in them, but that wasn't enough for me to trust him.

He handed me more napkins and I thanked him again. Couldn't he understand I didn't want him here? Accidents happened. I understood that. But that wasn't the reason I was uncomfortable.

"You don't know how sorry I am, Miss," he said once more, shaking his head. "Please, let me pay you for everything." He reached for his wallet, but I waved my hand dismissively.

"No. It's fine," I said, standing up. "It was an accident and I understand that. I don't use my phone much anyway. I think I should get going." Placing enough money on the table to pay for the food, I got my things and left the diner. There were twenty minutes left until my appointment, but maybe if I slowed down my pace I would get to Camille's office just in time.

As I walked, scanning the crack on the phone, someone at my left shouted, "At least let me take you wherever you want! I won't take no for an answer!" I turned my head to find the same guy that had spilled his coffee on me. He was driving a black Maserati, which glinted underneath the sun.

I approached the vehicle, a thin smile playing on my lips. "It's not necessary. Really."

"I insist," the guy said. I could still see his eyes full of worry, which made me trust him _just_ a little bit. Why was he so concerned? He hadn't hit me with a bat or something. Luke reacted equally whenever he was the cause of something bad. Anyone like my best friend was trustworthy.

"Okay," I finally said, climbing in the car. Apparently he'd just cleaned it, because everything smelled like lemon. I could detect men's aftershave in the air, too. The same one Dad used, in fact.

"Where to?" he asked, a smile flitting across his face. He seemed to feel better now that I was accepting his help. I told him the address of Camille's office and he froze, the charming smile fading. For a moment I thought he would ask me to get out the car because I was crazy—many people thought you were mad if you went to a psychologist—but instead he let out a laugh and started driving.

"What's so funny?" I asked, a blush creeping to my cheeks.

The guy stopped laughing, the upward curve back on his face. "Wanna know what's funny? Life. I'm actually going to see Camille right now, too. Do you think it's a coincidence, or does it mean something?"

"_You_?" I trailed my gaze over his body, not believing a single word. With his expensive clothes and belongings he had the appearance of someone who didn't have problems. Why would he need help from a psychologist? Probably he was just messing with me because he found it amusing that I went to therapy.

"Yeah, me."

"How come I haven't seen you before?"

He shrugged, turning his head to give me a grin. At that moment I realized there was something familiar about him. I couldn't tell what, though. The nervous part of me said, _He has dark hair; he could be Dariel's father_. After all, I didn't know who the father was. It'd been really dark the night of the incident; I hadn't seen his face. And to make everything worse, the bastard had hit me on the head.

I shook my head, forcing those thoughts to dissolve. I couldn't be blaming every dark-haired guy that stood in my way for what had happened. Besides, this person didn't look like someone who attacked seventeen-year-old girls.

"I decided to come to therapy earlier today. Usually at this time of the day I'm always working. Speaking of which, you forgot this at the diner." From the pocket of his jacket he produced a slip of paper, which contained the phone number of the company I wanted to work in. I took it from his hands and thanked him. Jeez. Maybe I was finally changing. I'd thanked this guy thrice already.

"Were you planning to ask for the job?" he asked. "You know, before this idiot ruined your phone."

"Yes," I answered, stuffing the ad inside my jeans' pocket. If I was lucky the job would still be available later. Which meant it wouldn't be.

"Then, I give it to you." A stoplight turned red, so he had the opportunity to turn around and face me. I stared at him intently, until I recalled where I had seen him before. This guy was always appearing on the front covers of local newspapers. The city was proud of the company he ran alone—the same company that needed a secretary. How did I know it? I'd been buying newspapers for two months, trying to find a job.

"I knew I'd seen you before." I snapped my fingers. "What was your name? Jason? No. Jackson."

"That's my last name, actually." The same grin I'd seen him show to the press appeared on his face. "My name is Perseus. Perseus Jackson. Call me Percy, though. So… what do you think? You look like the perfect person to be my secretary. I can tell you're honest, kind, dedicated, smart. You look quite smart. Do you want the job?"

I couldn't believe this was really happening. For weeks I'd tried to find work without good results, and now he was just proposing to give me one? It sounded too easy. I had to pinch my arm to make sure this wasn't a dream. When it was clear I was awake I said, "Uh, I don't know.

Percy's eyebrows shot up in response. "But you just said you want the job."

"Yes, I want it. But I want to earn it. I don't want you to give it to me just because of what happened back at the diner."

_You're stupid_, I told myself. It would be damn complicated to find an opportunity like this again. Yet, I wanted make sure the job was right for me.

"But…I just told you that—" Before he could complain about my answer, cars began honking behind us. The stoplight had turned green. This was the only lane still full of cars. Without thinking, Percy stepped on the gas. Afterwards, he didn't mention anything about his company.

Traveling by car was way faster than walking. In less than ten minutes the Maserati pulled into a parking lot. I prepared to get out, but Percy asked me to wait a second. He jumped into the cold air of the city, moving as fast as a flash. Soon, he was opening my door and holding out his hand. It would be rude to ignore his offer, so I took it and let him help me.

Wow. After thanking him, I realized I had done that four times already. Maybe I _was_ changing. Or maybe I just had manners. He stood at my side as we headed towards the entrance. Jennifer, Camille's nice and beautiful secretary, smiled in our direction as we entered the waiting room. I wasn't sure if she was happy to see me or Percy, but I smiled back anyway.

"Mrs. Morgan will be ready for you in a minute, Annabeth," she said with a big smile. "She's currently busy with another patient, but she'll see to you as soon as possible."

"Thank you," I beamed. After receiving one more smile formed by those red full lips, I turned around to take a seat. Once again, without further advice, the green-eyed man sat at my side. He leaned his elbows on his knees, staring at me as if I were an object in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "What?"

"I was just wondering…" he said, his voice laced with curiosity. "Why do you need therapy? You don't look like a person who has trauma or problems."

I remained silent for some moments. The answer came a bit harsher than expected. "I don't want to be rude or anything, but I wouldn't feel comfortable telling my problems to a total stranger." To make everything less awkward, I added, "Would you tell me why you need therapy if I asked you? I don't think so."

To my surprise, he chuckled. "Yeah, I would. I don't mind admitting I have a drinking problem. That's why I'm here."

Again, I had to run my eyes over him, because he didn't have the appearance of drunk. In fact, if he hadn't told me otherwise, I would've said he's completely normal and shouldn't be here.

"You don't look like someone who has problems," I whispered. I couldn't say the same for myself. People probably noticed how serious I was near men. I bet they did.

Shrugging, he leaned back in his seat. "You neither. I do have problems—a lot, in fact. Not only do I have an addiction to alcohol, I drink to…forget. This means I developed a problem to escape from my other problems. Don't worry, though," he rushed as if I were looking at him strange. Was I? "I've been sober for some years. I just come to work on my other problems before they drive me to drink again."

I shouldn't be asking questions. Not after I refused to tell him the reason I was here. Yet, the words slipped out of my mouth. "What kind of things are you trying to forget? Are they too bad?"

The next time he talked, he did it with a serious expression. "I'd rather not say."

For the first time in my life, I was lucky. Jennifer waved a hand, gesturing me to enter Camille's office. I got to my feet and turned to Percy. "Well, I need to go. Thanks again. You know, for bringing me. And for everything." I made an attempt to get away, but his hand wrapped around my wrist.

"You haven't told me your name, you know?" His amused expression was back.

"Annabeth Chase. Now, I really have to go." I tried pulling my arm free, but he was strong. Like always, the nervous part of me was the first one to react. It was telling me to run away before he tried to harm me.

"Well, Annabeth, take this." From his chest pocket he took out a little card. It had the name of his company and his phone number. "Just in case you change your mind. You know, about accepting the work. The job will always be available for you. And…I'm really sorry. For what I did to your phone. I'll find a way to pay you."

"It's not necessary," I said. "I really need to go now."

He waved a hand at me, but I didn't respond to the gesture. Instead, I turned around and walked away.

**. . .**

I didn't realize there was something strange going on until I stood at my apartment's door. It was unlocked. And I had locked it. I was sure of that. Dariel had forgotten his gloves and I'd forced him to go and get them.

A normal person would've gone to search for help, but I slowly opened the door. For a moment I felt like the protagonist of a horror movie. Those guys always went straight to danger.

In a second someone threw their arms around my neck. I wasn't sure how to react. How had this person entered? _No one will hurt me again_, I thought. But before I could make a move, a very peculiar scent reached my nose. That smell—I only knew one person who used that kind of perfume.

"Mom?" I pulled away to see her pale skin and exhausted expression. Despite that, there was a huge smile splitting her face in two. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in San Francisco!"

By now I wasn't talking anymore. Every word sounded like a laugh. I couldn't believe she was really here! She and Dad had moved to San Francisco shortly after she was diagnosed with Leukemia. New York was my home, so I'd decided to stay here with a three-year-old Dariel. She visited me every December and on birthday, but it was still November.

"Surprise!" she exclaimed, running a thumb along my cheek. "Look at you. You've changed a lot since the last time I saw you."

"Mom, I saw you only four months ago. It isn't much." I rolled my eyes, a smile playing on my lips. "Anyways, what a great surprise! Are you planning to spend Thanksgiving with Little D and me?"

"Of course! That's the reason why we're here. You father is taking a nap in your room—I hope you don't mind, but it was a long trip."

"It's okay, Mom. Let him rest. Besides, you paid for this apartment. Use it freely." I slid out of my jacket, placing it on the couch. I offered her something to drink, but she ignored me and continued talking about how much she missed me. I missed her a lot too, everything would probably be easier if she lived with me.

"So…tell me. Have you finally met a guy?" she asked hopefully.

My mood plummeted in a second. There was that question. "Uh…"

Being my mother, she knew me really well. Her smile faded as she let out a sigh. "I guess I'll leave this world without seeing you in love. But don't worry about me," she added quickly. "The good thing is that you're okay. As long as you're happy I can go in peace."

Why did her response affect me so much? _Because you want to see her happy_, my mind responded automatically. And it was true. I wanted to make her so happy that the next time I talked, I did it without thinking. "Actually, Mom I—I did meet a guy."

_It's official; you're stupid_, I thought.

Mom's grey eyes filled with happiness the moment I finished talking. _"Really_?_"_

"Y-yeah. Why would I lie to you?" I wondered if she noticed I was avoiding eye-contact.

"I can't believe this is finally happening." She stared at the ceiling as if wanting to thank God. "I've been waiting many years to hear you say that. I don't know about your father, but I want to meet him. Invite him to come over this Friday."

_Uh-oh_. How would I get a boyfriend before this Friday? I couldn't even stand near a man without being rude. "But Mom, it'll be Thanksgiving! I'm sure he has things to do."

"Well, invite him anyways. If he can't come I'll understand . But you know what? I hope he can. You know how much I've waited for this moment. Finally, someone will be capable of making you forget that night!" She looked so excited I couldn't tell her there was no guy in my life.

Luckily, the bell rang at that moment. "It must be Luke with Little D," I said, anxious to get away from her. This was dangerous territory. I made my way to the door and found, as expected, my best friend and my son. Both of them were eating ice cream, and I rolled my eyes. Luke spoiled Dariel way too much.

"I can explain this." Luke raised his arms, a grin set on his face.

"Yeah, you can." I placed a kiss on his cheek and ruffled Dariel's hair. "Guess who's inside, Little D." His mouth was full with food, so I didn't wait for his answer. "Your grandparents!"

His face lit up with excitement. In a second, he left Luke and me alone so he could hug my mother.

"I just got myself in trouble," I said, needing to tell someone about what I had just done.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Hello! How is everyone doing? I'm glad to be back here :-). Anyway, I really want to thank all those people who added this story to their favorites/alerts and those who reviewed. I'm glad to know that you liked it, and I hope you continue liking it until the end. On chapter one I forgot to mention that this story is being Beta-ed by **LongLiveLaughter**, another person I want to thank. And also I want to thank the first reader, even though she didn't read it completely: My best friend (If you like 50 Shades of Grey you should check her story; **OrangeSunset1618** is her Pen Name). That's all I have to say. See you guys later! Leave a review if you can! Happy reading!

P.S. I'm still waiting for the corrections of this chapter, so sorry if you see mistakes.

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Chapter 2

The mattress was starting to feel uncomfortable underneath my back after an hour of lying on it without sleeping. Many questions swirled inside my head, keeping me from resting. Why hadn't I accepted Percy's job offer? How would I get a boyfriend in three days? Would it be possible to let the past go? What would be Mom's reaction if she found out I'd lied to her?

Not wanting to listen to my thoughts anymore, I got out of bed and ordered the room. I tended to clean something whenever my mind bothered me. Anything. The rooms, the floors, the dishes. By seven o'clock everything was unrecognizable. The air even smelled nice; hours ago it'd held the scent of sweaty kid (If you ever read this, Dariel, I love you).

I plopped down in a chair, staring at a spot on my desk. It was strange to see zero books on it, the surface shiny and lacking of dirt. The only item out of place was a little card with Percy's phone number. I didn't know to where it belonged: To the trashcan or to a place in the bedroom. All the cleaning hadn't helped me take a decision.

In the end, I took my phone with its broken screen from my nightstand and dialed the number written on the card. I didn't have to work forever at Percy's company, right? I could just work there until I found a new job—one with less dark-haired guys.

After some moments he answered, and I wondered if I'd woken him. It was seven in the morning. Probably he'd been asleep before my call.

"Hello?" he said, his voice laced with exhaustion.

"Hi," I replied, a blush creeping to my cheeks even though no one was watching me. "I—I'm Annabeth Chase. Do you remember me? I'm sorry for calling this early. Did I wake you up?"

At the other end of the line he let out a yawn. "Of course I remember you. I won't be forgetting what happened yesterday any time soon. Don't worry. You didn't wake me up. It was my alarm the one who did it about an hour ago."

I chuckled a little thanks to his comment. "Okay. I guess I shouldn't feel guilty, then."

"Yeah, you shouldn't." He laughed. There was one of those awkward moments when I didn't know what to say. Everything was very silent. I swear I could even hear Little D snoring inside the neighboring bedroom. Finally, Percy decided to break the silence. "So…what can I do for you, Annabeth?"

That was the perfect opportunity to talk about the job. I took a deep breath, trying to feel less nervous. I felt as if I was about to do something extremely dangerous, like jump from a cliff or meet Dariel's father. After all, I hadn't accepted his offer and now I was going to tell him to forget that.

"Uh, I was wondering…" I said, scratching the back of my head. "Is—is the job still available? The one you offered me yesterday, I mean."

Silence once again. I knew he'd heard my question, because the sound of his calm breathing touched my ears. Several times I thought of ending the call and disappearing, but my body was frozen.

After what felt like hours, I heard Percy laugh. "I knew you would call for that. And yes, it is available if you want it."

"I—I want it," I replied.

"That's great! It'll be amazing to work alongside you, Annabeth. When can we meet so you can sign the contract?"

"I can go today if you want," I answered, trying to recall what my plans were for today. I had to take Dariel to school, but Dad could take him if I asked him to do so. Also, I had an appointment with Camille, but I could call her later and explain everything.

"That would be awesome," he said. "I'll be waiting for our meeting anxiously. Let me give you the address of the company."

As fast as a flash, I produced a notepad and a pen from a nearby drawer. As Percy recited the address I jotted down every word he said. The place wasn't too far from here. It would take me about fifteen minutes to get there walking.

"Okay," I said. "Is it okay if I see you in an hour?"

"Actually, I have something to do. Why don't we meet in two hours? I have to do an errand before heading to work."

Change of plans. I could take Little D to school and then meet with Percy. That would give me time to prepare mentally for spending the morning with someone who gave me the willies. I found myself nodding even though Percy wasn't capable of watching me, so I said, "Sounds great. I'll see you in two hours, then."

"Anew, I'll be waiting for our meeting anxiously."

There was nothing left to say. Then, why hadn't I hung the phone yet? Why hadn't he ended the call? I knew he was waiting for something to happen, because I could hear him exhaling against the microphone. That totally reminded me of those horror movies where someone calls and you can only hear him breathing.

"Is there anything more you have to say?" he inquired.

I took that as, 'Do you have something more to say? Because I have more important things to do than stay here all morning, talking with a girl who can't stand being near guys that have the same hair color as me.'

"No. That's all," I answered. "I'll see you later. Bye."

Before he could reply, I tapped the phone on the 'End Call' button. I remained there, sitting in a chair, until my mind reminded me that Dariel had to wake up. After replacing my pajama clothes with jeans, a black shirt and a coat I left the room and went to find my son, who was lying on his bed, his limbs forming strange angles. He reminded me of those horror movies where someone is possessed by a demon.

"Wakey-wakey!" I bellowed while tugging at Dariel's feet. "Get up, Little D. You have to take a shower, prepare your things and have breakfast, so you better start with everything right now."

"Stop bothering, mommy," he mumbled, trying to kick me. "I don't wanna go to school. My bed needs me."

"That's not an option. Now get up and take a shower."

He didn't move. It was as though I was talking with a corpse. Frowning, I did the only thing that came to my mind. As silent as possible, I cut the distance between Dariel and me. Soon, the tips of his feet were brushing against my thighs. Swiftly, I pulled at his pajama pants until they were around his knees. That worked perfectly to wake him up.

"Mom!" he shouted, but I was already slamming the door behind me. Several times he tried opening it, but I never took my hand off of the knob. When I heard water running inside his bathroom, I set towards the kitchen.

It was strange to see the table already full of food. Usually, it was me the one who had to prepare everything. With Mom here, I didn't have to worry about that, and her food tasted like a piece of heaven—not that I had tasted that before.

"Morning," I said, taking a seat beside Dad. Across from me there was an empty chair, which would be used by Dariel once he was ready.

Dad separated his gaze from his iPad—jeez, I couldn't understand that obsession he had to work at breakfast or lunch or dinner—and put an arm around me. "Good morning, Annie. It's great to see you." He had slept all the afternoon yesterday, so I hadn't had the opportunity to see him.

"It's good to see you too, Dad."

"I have some news for you, but we should wait until breakfast is over to discuss that matter."

I glanced at him surprised, trying to know if the news were good or bad. His mouth was a tight line. Parts of his sandy hair were standing up, as if he'd run his fingers through it all night. I supposed they weren't very good news.

"Good morning, dear." Mom materialized while carrying a jug full of orange juice. Gosh, I'd missed that. What would I do once Mom left this world? "How did you sleep?"

"Quite fine, I must say. Especially because you two are here," I responded, setting a pair of waffles on my plate. "And you?"

"It's nice to be back."

We exchanged smiles and started working on our food. Twenty minutes later, I felt as if my gut was about to explode. I couldn't understand why if I'd eaten only four waffles, two bacon strips, two glasses of orange juice and a glass of water. I wasn't the only one enjoying this feast: Dariel batted his eyelashes whenever he swallowed something, his eyes completely white.

"Annabeth," said Dad. "I think it's time to tell you the news. But only you can hear this." His brown eyes fell on my mother and son, but they lingered more on him. Mom understood what he was trying to say immediately.

"Come, dear. Let me help you with the scarf and gloves." Mom placed Dariel's hand inside hers and dragged him out of the room.

"What is it, Dad?" I asked as soon as we were alone.

Silence. Instead of looking me in the eyes he stared at his iPad, tapping here and there.

"Dad?" I inquired.

"Ah, here it is," he said, though I didn't know if he was talking to me or to himself. "This, Annabeth, is what I want to show you."

It was an email he'd received a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't familiar with the sender, but he seemed to be an investigator or something of the sort, because he'd written about an investigation he'd been doing.

* * *

_From: Garry Hammet, PI_

_Sent: Tuesday, November 5, 2013 12:15:26 AM_

_To: Frederick Chase_

_Dear Mr. Chase,_

_I am pleased to inform you that, after years of investigation, we are finally getting to the end of the road. Thanks to all the facts I've gathered throughout the past five years I have been able to find some men that could be your grandson's father and your daughter's attacker. It wasn't much the information your daughter told you what feel like eons ago, but I believe it was enough to get with these people. The most suspicious of them—a man from Kansas, who had been in a bar ten minutes before Miss Chase was attacked—is currently living in New York City. With all the research I have done, I know that this person was only visiting his sister five years ago. Now, she is no longer part of this world due to a disease, and he decided to stay with her place._

_I'll attach a picture of the suspicious at the bottom of this email._

_I will continue searching for Miss Chase's rapist until he is found. Count with it._

_If anything else is discovered I will immediately send an email to you. With nothing more to say, I say goodbye._

_Kindest regards,_

_Garry Hammet, PI._

* * *

Suddenly, the room felt colder than before. _He_, the man who had attacked me many nights ago, was living in the same city as me. One of the dark-haired men I had seen could've been him. We breathed the same air, shared many things. The thought of that made me feel sick.

Dad glided a finger across the screen, and my heart stopped working when I stared at the picture of the man from Kansas who could've been my attacker.

Never before had I seen him, but his hair was unruly and fell upon his eyelids. My mind went back to the day before.

"_Mommy, are you alright?" Dariel asked, tilting his head back to look into my eyes. In the process, tufts of dark hair—probably inherited by his father—fell over his eyes._

"_You behave, okay?" I said, squatting in front of him so we were face to face. Without waiting for a response, I kissed his forehead and ruffled his messy hair. Sometimes I wonder why it won't stay calm._

The man from the picture was grinning, and something about that grin was familiar. I had seen it before. If I wasn't wrong, Dariel smiled like that. _This has to be the man who attacked you_, said my mind. And I agreed. But…now what? There was nothing to be done. I couldn't appear at the man's house and say, 'Hey, you raped me, remember? Five years ago. I hate you. You're the reason I can't trust men. Oh, and we have a son, who is a wonderful boy and very different from his father.'

"We have to call the police," proposed my father as if he'd been reading my mind. "This—person has to pay for what he did to you."

"Dad, didn't you read the letter?" I asked. "The investigator, Garry, doesn't know if this man is the one who attacked me. We have to wait until there's no doubt that _he_ is Little D's father. What if he's put in jail and he's innocent? As much as I hate dark-haired men, I don't wanna see someone paying for something he didn't do."

He nodded after a while. Before I could stand up and search for Little D, he pulled me to an embrace. I leaned my head against his shoulder, wrapping my arms around him. "I love you, Annie."

"I love you too, Dad," I replied. I felt safe inside his arms, as if I was still that little girl who screamed whenever she saw a spider. "I need to go, Dad. I have to take Dariel to school."

"I can do it if you want. You know I don't have a problem with doing it."

"Thanks, but I will do it. I agreed to meet with someone who will give me a job."

Dad's eyes opened wide. "You got a job? That's great, Annie! What will you do?"

Scratching my nape, I shook my head. "I—I don't know. I'll do the sort of things secretaries do, I suppose. I'll tell you later, okay? It's getting late." Placing a kiss on his cheek, I leapt to my feet and went to the living room.

Little D was already wearing his scarf and gloves, a beanie covering his messy hair. Mom set a kiss on his forehead before both of us exited the apartment. I tried to prepare mentally for my meeting with Percy—what would I say? Was I dressed correctly for the meeting?—but my mind was somewhere else.

Dariel had to tug at my hand for me to realize that we had arrived to our destination. The school was a block away. As we made our way towards Mrs. Suzanne, who was wearing a blue dress today, someone crashed against me. Little D was already running towards the playground, so he didn't notice I was about to fall, but the same person who'd rammed into me caught my wrist and helped me.

"I beg your pardon," he said. Right away, I recognized that voice—even when I had heard it only once. Standing before me, his hand around my wrist, was a green-eyed guy who would soon be my boss. His eyes opened as much as mine. "Annabeth?"

"Percy," I replied. He released my wrist and I rubbed it. Everything was silent, like it had been earlier during the phone call. Without thinking, I asked: "It's the second time something bad happens when you're near. Is this going to happen always?"

A smile flitted across his face. "It depends. Do you want it to happen always?" Once again, there was silence, and this time I wasn't planning to break it. He started rocking backward and forward. Then, he said: "I suppose you're here for the same reason as me." _Was he raped five years ago and got pregnant? He has a son?_ I thought. "See, I have a brother—well, not exactly a brother. I consider him one, but we don't share blood. Anyway, he went out of the city and asked me to bring his son to school. And that's why I'm here."

"Actually, I'm here because I brought my—my son to school," I admitted.

His eyebrows shot up in reply. "Your son? I didn't know you were married."

"I am not. I am single."

Luckily, he didn't make any questions—not that I would've answered them. We remained in silence until he took out the keys of his Maserati. "Okay, I guess we should go. There's a contract you need to sign and we need to talk of many things."

I nodded, following him to the black vehicle parked at the other side of the road. Like a gentleman, he walked over to the door and pulled it open. "Thank you," I said. Everything still smelled of lemon and aftershave.

Neither he nor I said anything as the car moved through the streets. Everything felt…uncomfortable. The air around us was almost solid. What kind of thing could I say to start a conversation? The same thought was probably crossing his mind, because he didn't stop tapping a finger against the steering wheel.

I was about to say the typical 'Nice weather, right?' phrase, but before I could do it, he talked. Good, because the weather wasn't nice at all.

"So…how are you feeling, Annabeth?" he asked, staring at me through the rearview mirror. Those eyes were distracting. Their color was so abnormal but beautiful at the same. I had to shift my gaze to somewhere else, because I was starting to wonder if he used contact lens.

"I'm fine," I said. _You have to be nicer_, my mind scolded. _He's your future boss_. "How about you?"

At that he grinned, and there was something peculiar about his smile. "I'm excited. It is always exciting when someone starts working at my company. I don't know why, but that's how things stand."

"Speaking of which: I would love to know what kinds of things I will do."

"Easy things." He shrugged. "You'll receive my calls, help me with documents, accompany me to important meetings. Sometimes we'll go out of the city. As I said, easy things. And if you don't know how to do something you'll receive help from anyone. We're all like a family. We get along very well. And if no one wants to help you, I will."

The job sounded perfect. I would do simple things and win money doing them. Besides, I liked the 'we're all like a family' thing. That meant I would probably get along with the rest of the workers, what would make my stay more comfortable. As the car continued advancing he told me other things: The names of the people with whom I would interact, my schedule, amusing stuff that had occurred with his previous secretaries.

After a while the Maserati was parked in front of his company—and I felt that I didn't belong here with my jeans and black t-shirt. The building was enormous, its windows reflecting the sun's light. People entered and exited it, all of them wearing formal clothes. Was it too late to have cold feet?

"We're here," he said, opening the door for me again. _Yes, it is too late to have cold feet_, my mind answered. Swallowing the lump stuck in my throat, I took his hand and let him help me to get out. A tall, broad-shouldered man appeared out of the blue and took Percy's car to who-knows-where. Then, we were both heading to the set of crystal doors.

The inside was just as amazing, and people smiled at me as I passed. The atmosphere was just as Percy had described it. We crossed the lobby, reaching to the elevator. Even the cabin was fascinating. "My office is in the last level," he said, and then told me what was located inside each floor. "What do you think?"

"Everything is fabulous," I muttered.

"Thank you." He blushed, and the red color of his cheeks made him look…strange._ Admit it: You think he looks cute_, a voice inside my head said. But, of course, it wasn't true. I had never thought that from a guy.

The top of the building took out my breath. The floor-to-ceiling windows allowed me to see a big portion of the city. Everyone from here looked like ants. "Take a seat," Percy said as he traveled to his desk. I did as asked, sitting across from him. He made a call, asking someone to bring my contract. As we waited he explained me more about the things I would do here.

Finally, when the contract was here, he handed me a pen and waited for me to sign it. This was the moment. I would finally get a job. I read twice everything, checking the space between each line to make sure there weren't any tiny letters—that happened a lot in cartoons.

"Okay," I murmured and signed the paper.

It was done.

Percy gave me a smile as I handed him the contract. He told the nice, blond lady to prepare everything, and then she left the room after waving a hand at me. "Thank you," I said, heaving a sigh. "You know, for giving me the job."

"I like helping people." He grinned. "And you wouldn't be looking for a job if you didn't need it. Besides, I owe you for what happened yesterday. I still owe you, actually. So, if you ever need anything, you can count with me."

I don't know why, but the first thing that came to my mind was Mom's picture. Without thinking, I blurted out: "I—I actually need something."

"What is it? I'll be glad to help you." He leaned forward, as if I was about tell him a secret.

Again, without mulling things over, I said, "Be my boyfriend."

Silence. Okay, I hadn't explained myself correctly. His eyes opened wide as he leaned backward, pursing his lips. "Eh…" he said, scratching his nape. "I—I don't understand—"

"I didn't explain myself correctly." I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling as if the room was hotter. "Can you please _pretend_ to be my boyfriend? It—it will be just for one day."

He looked as if the weight of the sky had been taken from his shoulders, but he still looked astonished. "Why do you want me to do that?"

"Because my mother is in the city. And…she—well, she's dying. There is one thing she wants to see before leaving this world." I closed my eyes. "She wants to see me be in love. It wasn't the correct thing to do, but I—I lied to her. I told her that I have a boyfriend, but of course it isn't true, and now she wants to meet him this Friday. That's why I need someone to pretend to be my boyfriend."

Now, Percy's expression lacked of emotions. I couldn't tell if he was scared of me, or if he felt pity, or if he was angry. "Why did you lie to her?" he finally asked.

"Because I want to see her happy," I responded while moving my stare to my lap. "I want her to die happy, thinking that someone will be at my side when she's gone."

His eyes darkened, looking like the sea at night. "I—I understand. I would have wanted my mother to die happy." Okay, I didn't know his mother was dead, much less that she'd died unhappy. I peered at him until he shook his head and said, "Sure. I accept to be your 'boyfriend' this Friday. It's the least thing I can do after what happened yesterday." Letting out a sigh, he got on his feet. "Why don't you make me company as I have breakfast? We could plan things out. If we're going to be a 'couple' we need to make plans. You have to tell me what kinds of questions your mother will make and things like that."

"Sure," I whispered even though I had already had breakfast. I would probably explode if something more entered my stomach.

"Follow me, Annabeth. I know a place where they prepare delicious food. Or should I say: 'Mrs. Jackson?'" He grinned, but I didn't respond.


End file.
